This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

I have to confess that I watched the series before reading the book. I liked the series more than the book because Shruti is an amazing character, and they discussed several ethical problems with the main character. Let me explain.

First things first, it's a really good book about a doctor's life. Adam Kay did a brilliant job of showing that doctors are as human as non-doctor people. We get angry, sad and hopeless, and cheerful when we diagnose or the treatment helps the patient. But we also make mistakes, some early on in our medical student formation, but they never stop. It's inevitable as human beings to make mistakes. This is the main reason we need to review patient conditions. Don't underestimate their complaints, and don't overestimate them either. Overdiagnosis is also a huge problem. Sometimes we need to understand that we can't do anything to make this patient better (read palliative care), and other times, it's just an accident that happened. Common people think that doctors always do the right thing, so the patient must get better or that the patient gets worse, so it's the doctor's fault. Nothing is more wrong than that.

Adam Kay couldn't agree more. He did medicine to save lives, but medicine isn't just about that. It's about care. Parents know this too well. You care for your children, and it doesn't mean they'll be president or an astronaut. You try your best to improve their lives, but there are so many other variables.

One of the things I missed in the book was about Evidence-Based Medicine. Talking about probabilities, risks, and chances is a better way to explain to patients and to ourselves about our profession. However, some people still wouldn't like the “medicine way,” and that's completely fine. I totally support the author's decision at the end. This is not a spoiler; he tells us at the beginning of the reading.

Let's talk about the ethical problems: the dolphin stories, the smoking patient, the placentophagy, and jokes about the patient's ignorance or decisions. I'm not saying that I'm a saint. The point is that early on in medicine, we're taught that we're not the patient's father, we're like an advisor. You tell me what's bothering you, and I tell you what options you have to deal with that problem, and I can help you with that decision. An informative decision, reasonable, based on evidence. You must trust me, and I mustn't judge you about your complaint and choice. Obviously, it's not an easy task, but you usually get there. You focus on doing your job, and the patient's political views don't matter to you. This is one of the main philosophies about our job. Otherwise, we'd never treat any criminals. And don't forget, patients aren't obliged to know common stuff. Before I was a medical student, I had a lot of thoughts about biology and other stuff that were totally wrong (‘m at the end of my 4th year). As I developed my skills and knowledge, I realized that many things I thought and did were wrong because I didn't have the information. This is one of the reasons I always like to talk to patients and ask if they have any doubts or if they know why they're in the hospital, how the treatment works. It's really worth it when they say “thank you” or “never change to be like this person you are.”

In conclusion, I highly recommend reading the book. Do a critical read about it. Adam Kay talks about the wrong things with public service, etc., but also tells us so much about what doctors shouldn't do.